If your part-time or seasonal staff do extra-hazardous work in Wyoming, yes, they count, and you must cover them through the state fund at the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) from their first day. Wyoming does not have a part-time or hours-based exception; the state looks at the kind of work and at whether the person is a paid employee, not at how many hours they work. The one narrow exception is true casual labor, meaning work that lasts less than two weeks in a row and is not part of your normal business.
Who this is for: Wyoming owners whose team is part-time, seasonal, or a handful of occasional workers, and who want to know when those people have to be covered.
The short version
- Part-time and seasonal workers in extra-hazardous work are covered employees from day one; there is no hours minimum.
- Wyoming goes by the kind of work and whether the person is paid, not by how much they work.
- True casual labor is the narrow exception: under two weeks in a row and outside your normal business.
- You buy only from the state fund; no private carrier sells the mandatory coverage in Wyoming, so there is nothing to shop.
- You pay the full premium on their wages as an employer cost, and they pay nothing toward it.
Part-time, seasonal, or casual?
The words matter because only one of them is an exemption. A part-time worker is simply an employee who works fewer hours, and in covered work they are covered from day one. A seasonal worker, like a summer crew member, is the same: covered while they work in extra-hazardous jobs. Casual labor is the narrow carve-out, and it has two conditions that must both be true. The work has to last less than two consecutive weeks, and it has to fall outside the normal course of your business. Someone you bring in for a one-time task unrelated to what you do may be casual labor; a seasonal worker doing your core work is not, no matter how short the season.
How the categories compare
| Worker | Covered in Wyoming? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time employee in covered work | Yes, from day one | No hours minimum; covered like any employee |
| Seasonal crew member in covered work | Yes, while working | Short season does not create an exemption |
| True casual labor | Not required | Under two weeks in a row and outside your normal business |
| A worker you call a 1099 contractor | Often yes | Covered unless the state's three-part contractor test is met |
Why the count does not save you
Owners sometimes assume a couple of part-timers is too small to matter. In Wyoming the size of your team is not the test at all. If your industry is extra-hazardous, the duty attaches to the work, so even one part-time employee in covered work means you open a DWS account and report their wages. Trying to stretch the casual-labor label to cover regular part-time or seasonal help is a common and costly mistake, because if the state reclassifies those people you can owe back premiums plus penalties. When in doubt, treat a paid worker in covered work as covered. And because the state fund does not defend a lawsuit, adding stop-gap employers liability to your general liability policy is worth doing once you have any staff.
A Jackson example
Illustrative, not a quote. A Jackson gear shop runs a small warehouse and rental operation and staffs up with three part-time seasonal workers for the winter, handling and moving heavy equipment, which is extra-hazardous. Even though none of them is full-time, Wyoming requires coverage from their first shift, so the owner reports their wages to DWS and pays the full premium. A neighbor she pays for a single afternoon to help move a delivery, unrelated to the shop's work, is true casual labor and is not counted. See our workers comp for retail stores page.
Real questions Wyoming owners ask
Do part-time employees need workers comp in Wyoming?
If they do extra-hazardous work, yes, from day one. Wyoming has no part-time or hours-based exception, so a part-time worker in covered work is a covered employee whose wages you report to the state fund at DWS.
Are seasonal workers covered in Wyoming?
Yes, while they work in covered jobs. A short season does not create an exemption. A summer or winter crew member doing your core extra-hazardous work is covered the same as a year-round employee.
What counts as casual labor in Wyoming?
Casual labor has two conditions that must both be true: the work lasts less than two weeks in a row, and it is outside the normal course of your business. Regular part-time or seasonal help doing your core work is not casual labor.
How many hours before a worker needs coverage?
There is no hours threshold. Wyoming does not measure coverage by hours worked. A paid employee doing extra-hazardous work is covered from the first day no matter how few hours they put in.
Can I treat a regular part-timer as casual labor to skip coverage?
No. If the person does your core work, they are not casual labor even if the schedule is short. Misusing the label can lead to back premiums plus penalties if the state reclassifies the worker.
Do I pay the full premium for part-time staff?
Yes. You pay premium on the wages you report for them, and it is an employer cost, so the worker pays nothing toward it.
What does the state policy not cover for part-time staff?
It pays their medical care and lost wages after a work injury, but it does not defend you if you are sued. Stop-gap employers liability on your general liability policy covers that defense.
Why Wyoming owners choose Morrow
- We shop the right market for you. In Wyoming, mandatory workers compensation is sold only through the state, by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS), with no private carrier selling that mandatory coverage, so we help you open and run your state account correctly and place the stop-gap employers liability and other business coverages the state fund does not include.
- We catch pricing mistakes. Your price depends heavily on the category your work falls into for pricing (the class code). Put people in the wrong category and you overpay for years. We review your payroll and classifications before you buy.
- Proof of coverage, fast. Need a certificate (proof of coverage) for a general contractor or a landlord before Monday? We turn those around the same business day for most carriers.
- We help lower the score that drives your price. Insurers give you a score based on your past claims that raises or lowers your cost (the experience modification rate). We review it each year, flag errors, and connect you with return-to-work and safety resources that bring it down.
- Real people when a claim happens. When someone gets hurt, we stay involved through the life of the claim, not just at renewal.
Related Wyoming guides
Every Wyoming business is set up a little differently. These companion guides answer the same question for other situations, plus the national explainers behind the terms used here.
- Business insurance in Wyoming (start here)
- Workers comp: the owner's overview
- I own an LLC: do I need workers comp?
- I'm a sole proprietor: do I need workers comp?
- I own a corporation (C-corp or S-corp): do I need it?
- We're a partnership: do we need workers comp?
- We're a nonprofit: do we need workers comp?
- My workers are 1099: do I still need it?
- I only employ family: do I need workers comp?
- Remote or out-of-state staff: do I need coverage?
- What happens if I don't carry workers comp?
- How much does workers comp cost?
- How do I get workers comp (even if turned down)?
- What insurance do I need for a contractor license?
- Workers compensation insurance, explained
- What workers comp costs (national guide)
- Hiring your first employee: what changes
- What workers comp does not cover
- Wyoming retail workers comp
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Wyoming rules and penalty amounts can change, so verify current requirements with Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS), Workers' Compensation Division or a licensed advisor before you rely on them. Last updated: July 2026.